


Flashes of a Time Yet to Come

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-08-18
Updated: 2004-08-18
Packaged: 2019-05-15 04:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14783841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: A strange dream, a mutant potato chip, and a character's mysteriousactions transform a regular day in the west wing to a day that the staff and the president will never forget.





	1. Flashes of a Time Yet to Come

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

CHAPTER I

Claudia Jean Cregg passed through the metal detector that served as the electronic barrier between the west wing and the dangerous outside world. With a jolt the machine sprang to life, emitting a continuous series of beeps. Beep. Beep. Beep. She turned around to face the grumpy security guard; only no one was there. Confused, she kept on walking at a brisk pace. Seeing that the halls were empty, she peeked inside Josh’s office. Josh was sitting like a cardboard cut out at his desk.

“Hey Josh”

Josh said nothing. He just sat, staring into her eyes with his own soul penetrating ovals. The beeps never stopped nor died in volume. Beep. Beep. Beep.

“Josh, are you okay?”

A frantic chill ran up and down her spine as Josh continued to stare at her. His eyes glued her to the spot, she couldn’t move if she tried. Suddenly he opened his mouth, in a wide horizontal fashion, but only one sound reached CJ’s prickled ears.

“Beep. Beep. Beep.”

Beep. Beep. Bee-

CJ awoke with a jolt and smashed her hand on the snooze button, ceasing the annoyingly terrifying electronic emissions that haunted her dream. She lay in her bed, soaked with sweat, and pondered her dream’s meaning. She loved dreams, even nightmares were fine, as long as she remembered them in the morning to decipher them. Only this stumped her.

Why the hell would she dream about a silent robo-scary Josh Lyman? She could think of nothing symbolic, save Josh’s grim stare, to get her going on the meaning; so after a few minutes of thinking she got out of bed and prepared for work. This would have to wait.

 

 

Carol looked over the news reports listed on the Internet and concluded that it was indeed a slow news day. When CJ finally made her way to the office, Carol told her the only interesting thing she found.

“Hey CJ, they found a potato chip shaped like the president in Provo, Utah”

CJ stared at her for a second, letting it fully register. Then she burst out laughing.

Carol continued, “They’re selling it on ebay. I think you should buy it”

“Does it really look like him?”

Carol got a big picture of it up on her screen. “I’d say it does.”

“Place a bid for me, will you?”

Obviously excited Carol did what her boss asked. “How much?”

“Make it twenty. And if someone goes higher, re-bid, but don’t go higher than… oh I don’t care. Just get it.”

“Sure, the press conference is in five minutes.”

“Thanks.”

 

“Donna!”

Josh was sitting at his computer with a huge grin. Donna wasn’t going to believe this.

“Donna!”

Donna appeared in the doorway in a flash. She did not have a huge grin.

“You cackled.”

“Come here and look at this, your not going to believe it. Someone’s selling a potato chip shaped like the President on Ebay.”

“No way!” Donna looked at the screen and giggled. “Lets bid on it. We could frame it and give it to him.”

“Its already up to twenty dollars, lets try twenty-five”

“Do thirty- I really really want to give it to him, come on Josh, for the look on his face…”

Josh typed in the bid and turned to face Donna. “Don’t I have a meeting right about now?”

“You have a meeting with Congressman Hackle in the Roosevelt room.”

“When?”

“Now. But I figured you would want to make him wait.”

Josh looked at his assistant with a mischievous smile. “Punishing the republicans, are we now?”

“They make me mad”

“I thought you wanted your money back?”

Donna considered Josh’s comment. “I do. It would be nice if Democrats did that too. Then I wouldn’t complain so much.”

“So all it would take to give me some peace and quiet is a Democratic tax cut? Why didn’t you tell me before! Get Leo on the phone. I’m going to propose a plan.”

“Really!”

“No.”

“Your late for your meeting you empty headed communist duck.” Donna turned on her heels and left as Josh grabbed some files to take with him to the Roosevelt Room. He was already mentally preparing himself to tackle anything congressman Hackle had the fascist nerve to say.

 

“…And the sound barrier was broken by a land vehicle for the first time in the nation of Canada….and that’s all I have. Yes Mark.”

Mark appeared flabbergasted, as was the rest of the press. “CJ, that’s it?”

“That’s all folks,” the press secretary replied with a confident smile. Katie couldn’t hold it in.

“CJ, aren’t you aware of the FBI report concerning an investigation into the security at the White House?”

“Well, no.”

Katie continued, “ It cites ‘significant lack of preparation’ for a terrorist attack”

CJ was irked. Why didn’t Carol mention this to her? “I’ll look into it and have more for you this afternoon. Have a nice morning.”

“Bye CJ” the press replied, ignorant of their valediction’s ominous double meaning, for CJ would never talk behind that sturdy wooden podium again.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

Josh sat across from Congressman Hackle basked with boredom. The unimportant republican representative had been droning on for at least fifteen minutes about the pros and cons of his alma mater. He didn’t catch the name of the school the congressman attended. He could not of cared less.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, congressman, but I have a busy schedule today and I was really hoping you could get to the point.”

Josh knew he sounded like a prick, but he didn’t care. He could be checking on the potato chip bids on E-bay right about now. Anything would be more fun than this.

“Well, Josh, I’m sorry if you don’t find my company worth your while. But I’ll get to the point. I’ve gathered enough support, and I’m going to introduce a tax cut plan to the house next week.”

He just couldn’t keep it in, Josh snorted in amusement. There was no way this junior congressman from Wyoming would even be listened to, even with a republican majority. He just wasn’t that powerful.

“It won’t even come to a vote,” replied the confident deputy chief of staff.

“Why?” chortled back Hackle, “Because I’m not powerful? Because I’m not popular? Let me ask you a question, Mr. Lyman. Since when did the United States House of Representatives become the Middle School student council?”

“I had a very fair and productive middle school student council. I was the secretary.” Not until after he said it did Josh realize how stupid he had just sounded.

“I see. Well, Mr. Lyman, you can take this meeting with a grain of salt if you want to, but I will get a vote on a tax cut. The American people have waited six years too long, and the economy suffers for it.”

What a conservative idiot, Josh thought. “The economy suffers, congressman, because it suffered nine years ago, and nine years before that. It’s a vicious cycle. I would have thought the republicans in congress would have noticed it by now.”

“I’m sorry, is this a Bartlet state of the union where we get grilled like preschoolers over the workings on the economy? Well congratulations Mr. President. I hear that Nobel prizes are very popular these days, they even give them out to terrorists for failing to bring peace to the Middle East!”

Josh sat in shocked silence. “Are you calling the president a terrorist?”

Hackle looked surprised. “Why of course not! You know I was talking about Arafat.”

“Really. All I know is that on paper that quote looks a lot like your calling the president a terrorist.” Josh couldn’t believe his own ears. Of course this guy wasn’t talking about the president. But he couldn’t resist the temptation to take it further. “I’m gonna recommend that you keep that tax cut plan off the table, or I’m pretty sure the Cheyenne Times is gonna learn that your constituents elected a much bigger jackass than originally sold to them.”

Hackle stared deep into Josh’s unwavering eyes. “Josh, what school did I go to? Where was my Alma Mater?”

Now Josh was embarrassed, but only slightly. “I have since forgotten your Alma Mater to save brain space for facts about people. I’m sure the Washington Zoo would be interested, however. I hear they love making information packets about new species of primates.” Josh twitched slightly. He knew he went to far. He could see the headline now: Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bartlet calls Congressman a Monkey. Josh giggled despite himself.

“Oh, so now we’re laughing at our own cruel jokes, are we? This isn’t over, Mr. Lyman. Just wait until you trip on my banana peel.” With that the congressman stood up and left the room. Josh waited until he had shut the door, and then burst out laughing. He had to call Sam with that one.

 

 

“Leo, should I be worried? It seems that the FBI doesn’t think there are enough metal detectors surrounding this place.” The President glanced over at his friend with a playful smirk.

“All I know is if they wanted to kill you they would have done so by now. God knows I’ve had to restrain myself”

Bartlet smiled. “You know Abby threatened me the other day. Maybe the FBI was talking about one of you two knuckleheads.”

Suddenly Charlie opened the door that is the president’s last line of defense in case something terrible truly did occur. “Mr. President, your eldest granddaughter is here to see you.”

Jed Bartlet’s face erupted in smile. He hadn’t seen Anne in months, and his single most favorite thing to do was to visit with his grandchildren. “Bring her in, Charlie.”

Anne walked into the Oval Office. She was five foot eight inches. She was seventeen years old. She was chewing gum. And she was wearing black from her head to her toenails. “What’s up Grandpa?”

“Annie! It’s been so long! Is your mother here?” Jed’s eyes twinkled. He was concerned about the wardrobe, however. The president wasn’t quite up with gothic school fashion. He put it in the back of his mind to talk with Abby this evening.

“Na, she dropped me off. I just wanted to see you. Is grandma here?”

“No, she’s at a meeting down the street. So what have you been up too?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yep. Nothing.”

The president looked over at Leo, who was smiling. Leo was having a blast at this Grandfather goth-granddaughter conversation. “Is there anything you want to do while you’re here?”

Anne looked at her grandfather with a mixture of love and sadness. “Yeah, actually, I’ve always wanted to meet CJ Cregg.”

CJ sat at her computer. Suddenly she let out a shriek. “Carol! Carol come here quick!”

Carol ran into CJ’s little cluttered office, now stripped of its fishbowl, Gail being dead for over a month now. “What is it, CJ?”

“Someone bid thirty bucks on the potato chip, and I don’t know your password.”

“No problem. I’ll need to use your computer though, mine’s been acting up lately. How much do you want to bid?”

“Lets do fifty,” CJ said, never being much of a miser, “I think we can win it with fifty.”

“And what a prize that would be. Alright move over and I’ll make the bid.”

CJ got up. “Uh, Carol, you just make the bid. I have to go to the little girls’ room.”

“No problem,” Carol retorted as CJ left her office, leaving her computer unguarded. “No problem at all.” Carol wasn’t lying. Her computer was acting up, and she hadn’t been able to check her email all morning. As a lonesome bead of sweat collected on her brow, she checked her messages. She had one and only one. Carol opened this solitary letter and read with excitement. The message consisted of six words:

Do it this afternoon. No exceptions.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

CJ let the warm water sooth her tired hands longer than usual. She was desperately trying to remember something about this day. She knew it was important, but she couldn’t quite coax it out of her old brain. With a twist of her wrist and a flick of her fingers CJ’s hands were washed and dried and she stepped into the hallway.

“CJ!”

CJ looked down the hall and saw Josh half jogging his way to her.

“CJ, I need to talk to you a sec, can we go to your office?” Josh had the expression of a sixth grader who forgot his English homework.

“Sure, I still have a couple hours until this afternoon’s press briefing.”

Josh followed CJ down the crowded corridor to her office. Their conversation had not advanced since CJ’s last statement, so he looked at the view. It was then that he realized that Claudia Jean had a very nice butt. When they made it to CJ’s office the two people who advise the president on everything from green beans to tax cuts both walked through CJ’s office door at the same time. And got stuck.

CJ looked over at Josh. “If you push forward, I’ll push back.”

This they did and with very little effort Josh was inside CJ’s office and CJ outside of it. Josh looked at CJ, trying to read her expression. After a few awkward seconds CJ burst out laughing, and Josh, only slightly disappointed, did the same.

“CJ….CJ I’ve got to warn you about something,” Josh managed as he chuckled.

CJ was still laughing. “And what would that be, LemonLyman?”

Josh continued to laugh. “Your never gonna believe it, but there might be a story coming out about a senior white house aide calling a congressman a monkey.”

CJ stopped laughing. “A monkey.”

“A primate to be exact. Well, a new species of one, see they really don’t look like Congressman Hackle yet.”

“Are you telling me that you called a congressman a monkey?”

“A primate…”

“ You called a congressman a monkey and now I might get asked a question at my next press conference on why a senior aide to the president insulted a republican congressman and the best thing he could come up with was to call him a monkey!” CJ tried to look as irate as possible.

“So your mostly mad that my insult wasn’t intellectually stimulating,” ventured Josh.

“No, but that’s all the president will care about and I’ve worked here too long to know any less. There’s no way this will be a story. It’s to stupid.”

Josh looked at CJ in shock. “CJ, are you alright?”

CJ looked back with beaming eyes. She loved the fact that when she drilled Sam a few years ago about not coming to her first about the call girl, word had spread like wildfire, and now whenever anyone makes a boo boo they come to her for a band aid, even for things as pointless as devolutionary insults. CJ looked at Josh and realized at last that what she was about to say could be nothing less than entirely true. “Josh, I’ve never felt so-

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Good God, Margaret!” Leo waited a couple of seconds for the door to burst open. It did not. “Margaret!”

“Just a second, I’m just finishing up!”

Leo was shocked. What could she possibly be doing that was so important? With a grunt he got out of his chair and walked into his redheaded secretary’s painstakingly tidy office.

“Leo, look. There’s a potato chip shaped like the president on Ebay.”

Leo looked at Margaret for about ten whole seconds. “That is why you couldn’t come into my office, because a potato chip was shaped like the president? Do you know how disrespectful it is to just be looking-” Leo stopped short when he looked at the computer screen. That potato chip did look remarkably like the president.

Margaret looked up at her boss’s entranced eyes. “You wanna buy it? Its already up to fifty dollars, well until I-”

“Are you kidding? I’m not gonna waste my money on an obviously befuddled baked vegetable.” Leo looked at the chip again. It was an extraordinary potato chip. And Leo knew he had money to spare, boy did he have money to spare. “Bid a hundred dollars on the chip.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Margaret collapsed in relief. “Thank God.”

Leo looked at the screen again. “Oh God, Margaret, you already put a bid up. You couldn’t control your extreme geekiness and you already bid on the chip.”

“I only bid seventy-five. You bid a hundred. I’m off the hook.” Margaret smiled up at Leo.

Suddenly Leo stood up straight. It just hit him. He had just spent one hundred American dollar bills on a deformed potato chip. That’s enough to be released on the form. All of America will know of this impulse buy. “Margaret, you have to take it off. I don’t want it anymore.”

“You’d better want it. Its there until someone bids higher. Sorry.”

Leo shook it off and remembered why he needed Margaret in the first place. “Go get CJ and tell her to see me. There’s someone who wants to meet her.”

“You mean that gothic girl I saw come in? I don’t know, she looks kinda freaky.”

“Look who’s talking! That girl happens to be the Presidents granddaughter. Where do you live, Mars?” Leo’s eyes pierced Margaret’s with blinding intensity.

“I’ll go get CJ now.” Margaret left the office and Leo just looked out the window. He watched as the rain began to drizzle down the glass in long beads of solace. He was so exhausted, so tired of dealing with so much crap, he just wanted to fall-

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Asleep? Asleep!? Toby I can hear them crying right now. They’re not asleep, but I sure

as hell know who was.” Andi looked at her ex-husband with ruby-red eyes. Toby had the day off and asked if he could spend some time with the twins. Now here she is to pick them up and he’s sleeping on the couch.

“I was about to check on them…”

“I had to knock ten times before you woke up. How long have you been asleep, Toby?” Toby didn’t reply. His eyes sank with guilt and the weight of another dreadful day. “I’m going to get them. And your not going to have them for a while, so don’t even ask.” Andi marched upstairs, just as the phone began to shout with the pangs of immediacy.

“Hello this is Toby Zeigler…oh right. No, I’ll be there. I won’t let you down.” After hanging up the phone Toby put his hands to his face and sighed. This wasn’t a good day, not at all. He supposed he had better call-

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo trudged into the Oval Office. He needed to see the president, now. He looked around and saw no one. Convinced he was alone, Leo sat at the president’s desk and looked at all the neat stuff. He wished he could better describe it to himself, but in the end he agreed that only “neat stuff” would suffice.

“Is it hot in here Leo, or is it just me?”

The Chief of Staff looked up and saw the president walking toward him. Only it wasn’t Josiah Bartlet, it wore a suit for sure and he couldn’t mistake the hair, but the face…the face was like a giant-

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Potato chip? Dude, you want a chip?”

Leo’s vision refocused and before him he saw a pair of black painted lips begging him to have a potato chip.

“You sure you don’t want one…dude, did I wake you up? I’m asking because your eyes were open and all, sorry about that.” Annie set down the bag of Lays and took a pack of gum out of her purse. “Want a piece?”

“No thanks, Annie. CJ should be here any minute now.” Leo was about to look for the day’s crossword when the phone rang. Before he could pick it up, Annie, God bless her heart Annie had answered the telephone of the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States.

“Leo McGarry’s office, Annie speaking.”

“Hi…Annie, Annie, is this the Annie Westin?” Toby hadn’t considered yet why the president’s eldest granddaughter would be answering Leo’s phone.

“Yep. Unless I have clones. Is this Toby?”

“Yeah, listen Annie, I’ve been wondering…did it hurt to pierce your eyebrow?”

“Like Hell. It was great.” Annie stuck another piece of gum in her mouth.

“Is Leo right there?”

“Oh yeah. He’s right next to me.” Annie smiled playfully at Leo, who simply took the phone out of her hands.

“Hey Toby…” Leo looked up and was relieved to see CJ walk into the office.

“Leo, are you ready for tonight?”

Leo was bamboozled. “What’s-

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight it would be all over, and she wouldn’t have to stress about it anymore. That’s all Carol tried to tell herself for the past hour and a half. Just to be one hundred percent sure, however, Carol checked under her desk to make sure everything was set.

Damn. It wasn’t there…but she was so sure that she remembered it. She would have to go back to her apartment and pick it up.

And she was so hoping that she would be able to sneak it in unnoticed.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

CJ looked over at Annie. She had never met this mysterious granddaughter of her boss before and she was enjoying the conversation. “So why did you want to meet me so bad, Annie?”

“Dude, I don’t know. Its just I see you on the news all of the time, and your so funny and classy…I want to be like you someday.”

CJ was touched. She looked back at Annie with her pierced eyebrows, black lipstick and abnormally blackened hair and realized just how many types of classiness there were. “Do you mean my job?”

“Yeah, I think so. I want to be a press secretary, after watching you, because I think its what I was born to do.”

“How old are you, Annie?”

“I’ll be eighteen next month.”

With that comment CJ received a mental smack and suddenly realized what day it was. Today was CJ Cregg’s forty-fifth birthday, and she didn’t even realize it until half way through the day. No one even stopped her in the halls, none of her friends, not even Carol. Not even her father gave her a call.

With that CJ received another mental smack. Her father had been dead for over a month now, and she still had to keep reminding herself that he was truly gone. 

“CJ, are you okay?” Annie looked over at the press secretary with genuine concern.

“Oh yeah. Um, do you want a tour or something? I could, you know, show you the ropes…”

Annie’s eyes glistened with interest. “Man, that would be awesome.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol sighed with relief. The two boxes were right on the counter where she had left them. She took the thinner one and set it on the front seat of her sedan. Then she lugged the bigger box to the back seat of her car. She thought for a moment and went back into the apartment.

Finding what she was looking for she brought it back to her vehicle. She stuffed the items in the nooks and crannies of the larger box. Now all she had to do was practice her charm with the security guard, and everything would turn out just fine.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Donna!” Josh was incredulous. Some wacko had bid a hundred dollars on the Bartlet Chip. “Donna, come quick!”

Donna sauntered her way down the hallway toward Josh’s office. When she reached the doorway she peaked her head in. “Good morning sunshine.”

“Its noon…and what took you so long?”

Donna disliked her boss’s lack of appreciation. “I heard you call my name, so I came, then I heard ‘come quick’, so I went slower.”

“Oh, well next time my life’s in danger, when I ask you to come, feel free to take your time.”

“So what’s up?” Donna didn’t have to ask. This was Josh, so it had to be something imperative to the legacy of the President of the United States, and she was right.

“The potato chip. Someone upbidded me.”

“Someone upbidded you?” 

“Yep.” Josh’s face steamed with the expression of an angry possum.

“And what did you get on your verbal SATs again?”

“Better than you. Lets get this chip back. How about we both put in a hundred and bid two. No one will take it from us then.” Josh was very determined. This was almost bigger than winning a vote.

“Sounds great, except you make much more than I do-”

“Okay, you fifty, me one-fifty.”

“Done.” Donna was delighted. This potato chip was the most exciting thing to happen all day.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo walked into the Oval Office. Remembering his nightmare he pinched himself a few times before looking up at the president, who was reading at his desk. And it wasn’t a snack food with reading glasses this time. “Thank God,” he sighed.

“Leo, I didn’t see you come in. What are you so relieved about?”

“I’m relieved that I don’t have the urge to eat you.” Leo was about to elaborate, “Sir, I mean, well, I had a dream-”

“Leo, are you sure you want to go on?”

“Sir, I had a dream that you, that you were a giant mutant potato chip.” Leo stared at the president, unsure if what he had just said made him legally insane.

“Leo, remember this next time. When it comes to your dreams, ignorance is bliss.”

Leo looked down at the book in the president’s hands. “Reading anything good?”

“Lord John Marbury let me borrow it. He says it’s a hit over in Britain.”

Leo looked slightly dismayed. “What’s it about?”

“It’s a strange story about a magical boy who, coincidently, has the ability to transform me into a potato chip. Actually, the boy would probably get it wrong and turn me into a french fry, but his girlfriend or whatever she is would probably get it right.”

“Is she the know-it-all, Mr. President? Let me guess, she’s your favorite character.”

“I ought to smack you one someday.”

“Sir, in a couple hours we have that thing to go to, I just got a call from Toby.”

The president was slightly confused. Then the memories surfaced. “Oh, right, the thing’s today. This afternoon, right?”

Leo smiled. “Yeah, its gonna be a big surprise.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CJ led Annie into the briefing room just as some moving crews were there moving things around. She watched as one of the men began rolling her beloved podium away. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

 

The moving man looked down at his cargo. “Well miss, this here podium’s been infested with termites. Another one should be coming in shortly.”

CJ couldn’t believe it. For over five years she’s used that podium, and now because of those stupid bugs, she would never talk behind it again. “Can I say goodbye?”

“Well, if you want to…”

CJ said goodbye to the podium and then continued the tour with Annie.

She showed the eager teenager the seating arrangements for the media, as well as some of the camera tricks employed during the broadcasts. She even let Annie stand up at the place where the podium would be, pretending to answer questions from CJ, who was very excited to play the part of the reporter.

After the pressroom tour Annie still wasn’t satisfied. “Josh Lyman works in this building, right?”

“Yeah”

“Can I meet him too?”

CJ looked confused. “So you want to be deputy chief of staff too?”

“No. I just think the dude’s hot.”

CJ nodded at Annie in mutual understanding.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol drove back to the west wing as fast as possible. There wasn’t much time, not much time at all. She opened the box next to her and dipped her finger into the frosting, licking it off composedly. No one else was probably going to eat it anyway, she told herself.

It was too bad it had to be this afternoon, or else they would have been more time to prepare, but Danny was leaving later and she really wanted him to be there for this. This was CJ’s special day, and she wanted the press to be there for it. All of it.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V

 

Toby walked into Wal-Mart and was immediately lost. Walking through the endless isles he found himself turning a corner and was instantly floating in a vast sea of women’s bras. As he stood there wondering how many of them were made in China, a sweet elderly lady proudly carrying a roll of Wal-Mart smiley face stickers approached him.

 

“Sir, can I help you find anything?”

Toby turned around with a start. “Uh, I was looking for balloons.”

“Oh, is that what we call them now? What size? Right now your standing next to the double Ds, if you were wondering.” The understanding employee laughed gently with her eyes.

Toby’s face turned scarlet. “No, I mean party balloons…for a party.”

The employee was the one who was red now. “Oh, I see. Sorry dear, it’s just that I’ve always been a little dirty-minded. Right this way.” 

Toby told himself not to venture to a public place for a long time. People were just too weird nowadays. 

“Alright, we have red, blue, green, purple, orange, pink, and black.”

“Why do you have black balloons? They seem a little, I don’t know, a little sad.”

The old lady looked back knowingly. “People usually buy those for fortieth or fiftieth birthday parties, it’s kind of like a joke, only the birthday person doesn’t usually find them that funny.”

Toby thought it was a great idea. “I’ll take a dozen.” He looked at the employee, who now seemed a little annoyed.

“They come in plastic bags. You can get them yourself.” She pointed to the rack next to Toby.

“Oh, right…I just figured you blew them up or something…”

The lady revealed a small polite grin. “Are you kidding? This is Wal-Mart. Here, have a happy sticker.” She slapped the sticker on Toby’s chest, where it would remain for the rest of the day.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Annie! Your going the wrong way, no, no turn right…there you go.” CJ was several paces behind the speeding Annie as she tried to direct the girl to her desired destination before they ended up in the steam pipe trunk distribution venue. “Annie, why don’t you wait up a second...”

The excited girl stopped and watched the press secretary catch up with her. As CJ approached, the fluorescent ceiling lights basked her thin auburn hair in alternating shades of light and dark, causing a series of chills to run up Annie’s back. She didn’t know why she shivered, but something about that moment in time, that flash of a time yet to come, it was something the teenager would never forget. And forget it she never did.

“Do you want to knock or shall I?” CJ noticed the thrill on Annie’s face as she began to draw nearer.

Annie looked to her left and noticed she was standing right outside of her crush’s office door. The excitement bubbled within her as she began to-

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

knock knock

 

Josh was startled out of his daydream. He looked up and caught the eye of a somehow very familiar yet totally unrecognizable girl. After noticing the black lipstick he glanced at the eyebrow piercing, and Josh knew exactly who this was. “Come in, come in.”

CJ followed Annie through Josh’s office door, carefully allowing Annie to walk in first.

“Hi Annie, I’m Josh Lyman.” Josh reached out his calm hand to shake Annie’s anxious one.

“Hey, I’m Annie Westin.” Annie froze. She couldn’t believe she just said something so stupid. He already knew her name. She had to say something else, something significant… “You wanna potato chip?”

“Uh…sure.” Josh was amused by the first-granddaughter’s offer. He could see the nervousness in her eyes, and he tried to think of a way to calm her down.

Annie awkwardly dug into her purse for her bag of chips. As she pulled them out a certain item only a woman would carry fell to the floor. CJ looked at Annie, she didn’t notice it. She looked at Josh, he had, but he also had the heart to pretend he hadn’t. With stealth CJ bent down to pick it up and quickly stashed it in her back pocket, wondering how she could possible give it back without telling Annie what had happened.

Annie handed her crush a single potato chip. She couldn’t believe how retarded this little interaction was. “You can have another one if you want.”

Josh smiled. “That’s okay, thank you.” As he munched on the chip he looked over at CJ. “Which reminds me, CJ, I have to show you something.”

Josh led CJ and Annie over to his computer, which was still connected to Ebay. Scrolling down he revealed to his audience the Bartlet Chip. “Look, it looks just like the president. I’m gonna get it too-”

“You mean we, we’re gonna get it.” Donna appeared in the doorway, looking upon the computer crowd. “We both bid on that chip, Josh.”

“What are we gonna do, break it in half?”

Donna refused to look at Josh’s face. Instead she gazed at the brunette beside him, realizing that this must be the girl. “Annie, you grandfather was wondering if you would like to join the first family for a game of Risk.” 

 

Annie was relieved. She felt like a total fool in front of Josh. “Uh, sure.”

As Annie headed over to the residence Donna walked inside the office and whispered in CJ’s ear. “Just a thought, CJ, but if I were you I wouldn’t carry that in your back pocket.” She then left to show Annie the way.

As CJ transplanted the item to her purse she looked over at her bidding competition. Realizing it would be to her advantage to keep her secret to herself, she decided to change the subject. “Josh, I just got a call from Katie, I was wrong.”

Josh was worried. “Wrong about what?”

CJ smiled inside her head, but didn’t dare let it show on her face. “The story is out. She was wondering if you had a comment for the article tomorrow, on your insult to congressman Hackle.”

Josh’s eyes widened. “That jackass!”

“Do you want to say anything else, or should I just give her that?”

“I’d say it sums it up quite nicely.” Josh was so upset he didn’t even notice how calm CJ remained.

“Josh, I’m kidding.”

As Josh’s shoulders relaxed he remembered his now unnecessary defense. “CJ, Hackle called the president a terrorist. Well, kind of.”

CJ narrowed her eyes. “How do you kind of call the president a terrorist?”

“Well, I think he said it on accident. He was talking about the president and Yassar Arafat in the same sentence and he overused his pronouns, and it got him into some ambiguity troubles.”

 

“Oh.”

“Should we leak it?”

CJ paused to think, finally looking directly into Josh’s eyes, “No, if he really didn’t say it, then no. We don’t play that way. We’ll save it in case they make a big deal out of your little outburst, however.”

“Yeah, that I meant.”

“True.” CJ looked at her watch. She only had a little over an hour until the two-o’-clock briefing, and she needed to re-bid on the chip. “Joshua, I have to go. By the way, if you happen to see Annie again, stop to talk a bit. I think it would really make her day to see you again.”

A smug-looking Josh replied, “No problem.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol carried her cargo up to the front security gate in the west wing. As she balanced the two boxes expertly in her arms, she hoped that what she stuffed in the larger box would do the trick. She showed the security guard the birthday cake first.

The guard’s eyes traced the words on the cake. “Its her birthday, huh? Well if I don’t see her come out tonight then wish her happy birthday for me, will ya?”

Carol gave the guard an ironic smile. “Of course I will. Here’s the other box, it’s got all the decorations and stuff.”

The guard glanced into the larger box, shuffling some of the surface confetti around a little. “Looks like that party’s gonna be a blast. Go on through, Carol.”

As she stepped through the metal detector and was handed her boxes back by the guard, Carol sighed with immense relief. Now all she had to do was avoid CJ.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CJ walked into her office and headed straight for the computer. She found it odd that Carol still wasn’t back yet; she would usually be collecting notes for her afternoon briefing by now. Finding the potato chip, CJ looked at the bid. There was no way she was going to let Josh and Donna’s measly two hundred dollars be enough to win. Oh no, she thought, they’re going to have to pay a lot more than that.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol quickly headed over to her desk, bending over to hide the cake under it. As she stood up she saw CJ through the window that divided their two offices. Before CJ could glance in her direction, Carol picked up her box of decorations and strode over to the briefing room.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annie opened the door to the residence, expecting to see her grandparents sitting at the couch setting up her favorite board game. She looked around, finally seeing her grandfather sitting in a big chair by the television.

“Annie, we need to talk about something. Your grandmother should be out in a minute.”

Annie silently sat down on a plush gray chair. She had a pretty good idea what all this was about.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Perfect,” Carol uttered to no one in particular. She finished arranging the things she had set in the large crevice in the new podium and then stepped back to observe her work. Concluding that her handiwork was sufficiently inconspicuous, Carol glanced at her watch. Only half an hour to go, she thought, and then the real fun would begin.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI

Annie almost shook with anxiety waiting for her grandmother to come into the main room where she and her grandfather sat. She wished that her time here could have been a little bit longer, but frankly she was surprised she wasn’t sitting in this chair hours ago. It was during this thought that the First Lady entered and sat silently next to her granddaughter on the sofa.

“Annie, Eli…your mother called a few minutes ago looking for you. She’s on her way right now to pick you up.”

Jed Bartlet was more direct. “Annie, sweetheart, why did you run away from home?”

Annie had been thinking of several lies to answer this question for a long time. She thought she might say that her brother’s lack of personality was about to bore her to death, but after a few thoughtful seconds decided to tell the truth. “I couldn’t stand the fighting anymore.”

The president gazed at his granddaughter with utmost concern and sympathy. This was news to him, but he hid his shock well. His surprise and stress wouldn’t show until later, when a few more crevices would be added to the already busy map that was his face. “Annie, I’m so sorry. But to leave home?”

“I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t sleep. I’m still worried about mom and Gus, but I needed, I needed…”

“You needed help, and so you came to us. That’s fine Annie, but don’t run away from home.” Jed’s eyes wavered slightly. He hadn’t said what was really on his mind, but his wife took care of that for him.

“Damn you Doug, God damn you.” Abby had the anger of a hungry tiger in her eyes. “Annie, did he hurt you…did he hurt…”

“No, grandma, but I was scared he would. Sometimes, he would get angry, so angry, I would take Gus upstairs to play games, but we could still hear them shouting, could hear dad swearing…” Annie trailed off into muffled mumbles. She hadn’t expected to get so emotional, but her fear was truly returning as she gave them her account. What would he do when she got home?

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments. The president was tired and confused. Doug always seemed so happy, so positive. He couldn’t see him having anger problems, but he didn’t doubt one iota of his granddaughter’s testimony. Testimony. Jed hoped to God it would never come to that.

Unexpectedly Charlie entered the room. “Mr. President, in a few minutes everyone will be gathering just outside the briefing room, so if there was anything you needed to do to get ready…”

“Thank you Charlie.” Abby watched as her husband’s assistant exited the room and noiselessly shut the door behind him. Then she turned back to Annie. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll talk this all out when your mother gets here, and it will all turn out all right. Come into the kitchen with me, you can help me wrap CJ’s present.” Abby let Annie enter the kitchen before her. Before joining her granddaughter in the next room, she glanced back at her husband who sat seriously in his chair, deep in thought and lost in his own mind. She had to keep him relaxed, she thought, or it could bring on another attack. With those worries around her neck, Abby stepped into the kitchen. She had to try to manage a good mood for CJ.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toby rushed through security as fast as possible and ran over to his office. He had to have all these balloons blown up in less than fifteen minutes. Thinking quickly, he walked out into the busy hallway.

“Bonnie! Donna! Ginger! Everyone and anyone who’s not doing anything but running around and looking busy come into my office. We need to blow up some bras…balloons…I meant balloons.” That damn dirty-minded lady, Toby thought, she had him thinking in all the wrong ways.

Within seconds a few certain brunettes, blonds, and redheads were all gathered inside Toby’s diminutive office. “Okay everyone, here’s the deal. We have to blow up as many of these balloons as possible in under ten minutes. Lets get started.” As Toby began to close the blinds and the assistants remaining outside looked on in unhealthy suspicion, Bonnie piped up with the inevitable question.

“Why are they black?”

“We’re celebrating happy times Bonnie, only black would do.”

As Donna ripped open a package of the balloons, she had a thought. “I could bring some over to Margaret to help with, she’s got great lungs.”

As all the assistants nodded in agreement, Toby decided he didn’t want to know how they all knew this fact. “Okay, Donna, take some up…But be sure to avoid CJ.”

In a flash Donna was out the door and the happy few who remained began huffing and puffing their way through dozens of party balloons.

Toby undid the ribbon from its plastic wrapping. “Once you’ve blown up a balloon, tie a string on the end. Don’t make them too long, though, or else the secret service will have a bird if they block the view of the security cameras.”

Ginger paused to comment. “Are balloons even allowed in the west wing?”

Toby conceded. “Probably not, good point Ginger. When you guys leave to take your spots outside the briefing room, hide the balloons under your shirts. You’ll look funny, but I don’t really care about that.”

A few minutes later the assistants who remained outside were greeted with the sight of an exhausted looking Toby finally opening his blinds as a stream of pregnant-looking interns exited his office.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Donna!” Josh looked at the clock. Five minutes, and they had to be set. Where the heck was Donna, she was supposed to have the gift. “Donna!”

Donna walked in with a half blown-up balloon in her mouth. With various inflective mumbles she presented Josh with Gail Jr., the one they had picked out at the pet store a few days earlier to replace the deceased senior version. As she set the bowl down on Josh’s cluttered desk, Josh stepped forward to peer into the glass.

“Wow, that’s amazing Donna, she’ll love it. Where did you find it?” Josh was staring at the ornate miniature podium Donna had placed as a decoration. Gail Jr. swam swiftly around it, as if he was playing as both CJ and the press and having a ball. Josh gazed at the details on the ornamental podium as Donna blew up her balloon, when suddenly…

POP!

 

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry Josh…” Shards of black balloon plastic littered the fish bowl. Both boss and assistant worked feverishly to fish it all out before the actual fish was harmed. Eventually, all was clear, and Gail Jr. continued to swim around and around the podium.

Donna checked her watch. “We should probably head down there. It’s getting close.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Hurry up, I don’t want to miss it.”

Donna picked up the fish bowl and followed Josh down the hallways to the briefing room. Gail Jr. continued to swim around and around the pocket-sized podium, around and

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

around the cobbler’s bench the monkey chased the weasel, that’s the way the money goes…POP goes the weasel.

 

As Carol waited for the weasel…for CJ…she couldn’t get one of the verses of the popular nursery rhyme song out of her head. That’s the way the money goes…POP goes the weasel. That’s the way the money better go, Carol thought, that’s where it better…

“Carol!” CJ streamed down the hallway, upset that she was late for the briefing. “Carol, is there anything last minute?” 

“Nope, nothing you need to worry about. Go get ‘em CJ.” CJ smiled at her aide and headed toward the briefing room, she was about to walk in when Annie approached her. The two struck up what must have been a depressing conversation as Carol looked on in apprehension.

Carol spoke to herself in mumbled whispers as she cradled the remote that housed the button she would soon need to press. “Come on, come on, come on…”

“Carol, Carol do you have it?” Josh appeared anxious as he interrogated the assistant to the press secretary.

“Have what?”

Josh looked back at CJ, who was still intently focused on Annie. He turned back and spoke in a hard whisper. “The cake, you were supposed to pick it up, do you have it?”

Carol jumped for joy in her heart. This was the perfect opportunity. She feigned surprise as she replied, “Oh, no…I left in my car. Here hold this, I should be back in time, but if I’m not, you need to do this…” Carol handed Josh the remote.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the remote control to the radio that’s hidden in CJ’s podium, when she just about gets to it, press the yellow button. The radio should start playing happy birthday, which is the cue for the press to start singing and for the rest of us to come out of hiding.” Carol watched as Josh slowly but surely accepted her explanation.

“Okay. You go on and get that cake. I’ll take care of this.”

Carol paced briskly out of the west wing. Finally, she thought, the American media would get what they deserve.

The deputy chief of staff watched with excitement as CJ gave a hug to Annie and then turned to walk up to the podium. He watched her saunter through the doors of the pressroom and agreed with his earlier assessment that CJ had a sexy behind. He took a quick glance in both directions to make sure everyone was set, and sure enough he could see practically the entire staff of the west wing hiding in the nooks and crannies of the surrounding offices with black balloons either above their heads or beneath their shirts. Josh looked through the doors again. CJ had just reached her podium. Here it goes, he thought, and then Josh pushed the yellow button.

The pressroom erupted in a flash of light.

POP goes the weasel


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII

From what CJ figured was a camera-flash induced dizzy blackness, the press secretary emerged to the sound of music. At first she couldn’t hear or see very well, but as her vision refocused she first saw more flashes of light, and could hear a seemingly random voice singing “happy birthday”.

CJ was finally able to see again, and she looked out beyond her podium to dozens of empty seats, save one. In the front row was Katie, standing by herself, finishing her lonesome birthday song. Suddenly CJ caught sight of a man walking up the side isle, carrying what seemed to be a cake. Not just a man, she realized as he looked up at her, but her father. The astonished woman stood in joyous shock as she felt someone touch her, someone…

\---

Was dragging her out of the briefing room. CJ was barely conscious, but could feel the grip of someone’s lifesaving hands now picking her up and setting her down on something firm. She tried to open her eyes, but eventually gave up as she felt her mind succumb to a strange numbness… 

\---

A secret service agent, dressed in a sharp black suit, was coming up the side isle behind her father. She could barely make out a fishbowl resting in the man’s hands…

\---

“CJ…CJ! CJ!” Her eyes fluttered open and above her she could sense the outline of a face, with more refocusing she realized it was the bloody countenance of Josh.

“CJ, can you hear me?”

CJ blinked, or at least she tried too.

“CJ, if you can hear me, help is on the way. I will be right here with you. I’ll be right here.” CJ felt a drop of warm liquid fall onto her face, and whether it was blood or saltwater she could not tell, for the press secretary had again unwillingly closed her veteran emerald eyes.

\---

 

Agent Simon Donovan, clutching Gail, and Tal Cregg stood silently next to CJ. She looked at both of their faces, the faces of the two men that she missed to the depths of her heart, and tried to convey a message of love over and over with her soggy stare. Their own kind eyes looked back at her; they seemed to be almost deciding something, CJ would later think, and then her father abruptly opened his mouth as…

\---

The injured press secretary unbolted her eyes. Bit by bit, she was able to comprehend the semi-organized bedlam around her. There were figures moving around, and some faces were staring down at her; behind them were floating blobs of blackness, which seemed to be spread out throughout the room. Gradually she was again able to make out the wounded face of Josh.

“CJ, can you hear me?”

CJ opened her mouth to speak, not knowing if anything would come out. Nevertheless, she heard herself straining the words with a small voice. “I can hear you, Sparky.”

“Are you in pain? There’s an ambulance on the way.” Josh’s spoke in a quick, adrenaline packed manner.

CJ answered truthfully. “I just feel a little numb, a little shocked. Josh, what happened?”

“There was…there was a bomb …or something, it was in the podium.” Josh braced himself for the next question.

CJ remained in incomprehensible shock. “How?”

Because I pushed the damn button, Josh thought as he sickened himself, I’m an idiot and your hurt because of me, because I pushed the damn button. Josh thought for a second how to respond. He concluded that he couldn’t be sure, even after what happened with Carol. “We don’t know, but for some God-given reason, it was weak, the explosion was weak. Only one other person was hurt, CJ.”

“You mean Katie.” CJ began to feel very tired again.

For just a hair of a second Josh pondered the strangely profound powers of a woman’s intuition. “Yeah…CJ…”

Suddenly CJ was lifted and placed on a stretcher. As she was about to be carried off, she called back to Josh. “You got a little cut there, Sparky.” Then she was out of earshot.

Josh felt his head, and sure enough, there was blood. He knew there would be burns, but he didn’t think there would be blood. He stood still, for a split second, and then looked around. He saw Katie; her eyes finally open, also being carried away. Unexpectedly Toby shuffled up to him.

“Josh, are you okay?”

“Yeah, where’s the president?”

“I think he was led to a helicopter right after the explosion,” Toby was also in a daze, Josh saw. “Josh, where’s CJ? Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s being taken to the hospital”

“I’m asking because I saw the fire, I heard the explosion, and I saw the-”

Seemingly out of nowhere a secret service agent, who stood on a desk, interrupted Toby. “Alright, we need everyone outside in the rose garden, now.” There were no questions to be asked in light of the look that plastered the agent’s face.

As they were being led outside, Josh relayed Toby his experience. “Toby, I think I set off the…I think I set if off.”

The overwhelmed communications director forcefully took Josh off to the side, near a bed of tulips. “You what?”

Josh took in a few deep breaths, and then proceeded to speak. “As we were all getting situated, I went over to Carol to ask if she had the cake. She said it was in her car, and she asked me to do something for her in case she wasn’t back in time.”

Toby’s eyes glazed over with the force of thousands of thoughts trotting through his mind. He noticed that Josh had taken a sudden interest in the nearby tulips, and so he pressed the tired man further. “Josh, what did she ask you to do? It’s okay, just tell me.”

“Toby, she gave me a…a remote, and said to press the yellow button when CJ approached the podium, she said it would turn on a radio which would start playing music to cue the press to sta…” Josh was cut off by Toby’s sudden bellow to the crowd beyond.

“I need to speak to an agent! I need to talk to someone!”

Josh was speechless. Did Toby suspect him? There’s no way, he thought, no way…

In a flash an agent unknown to either man approached Toby. “What is it Mr. Ziegler?”

“I need you to find Carol Fitzpatrick. Josh thinks she might have something to do with this.”

The agent looked grave. “Thank you, Mr. Ziegler.” He then looked over to Josh. “Mr. Lyman, your head looks pretty bad, you should probably head over to the emergency room.”

Josh stammered. “No, its fine, it just a…”

The agent interrupted. “On second thought, you are going to the emergency room. Mr. Ziegler, make sure he gets there.”

\---

Elizabeth Westin looked back at her son in the back seat, hoping that in the boredom created by the stagnant traffic he wouldn’t start asking questions. Gus sat in the back seat, absently staring out the window.

“Mom?”

“What honey?”

The six-year old paused for a moment. “Are you okay?”

The first daughter of the first family did not look back. She knew what her innocent son had meant; it was the same thing that Annie, when she picked her up, would inquire about directly. Flipping down the mirror, she inspected the bruise under her left eye. She could still observe it plainly, even after applying numerous layers of make-up. Without warning, the red raging eyes of her husband pierced her consciousness. “I’m fine, honey.”

“Look, mom, a police officer!”

Sure enough, Elizabeth saw the culprit of the bottleneck up ahead, conversing with each car thoroughly. As she pulled up, she made sure she was the first one to speak, being fairly certain that she would be instantly recognized. “Officer, can you tell me what’s going on? We’re at least eight blocks away from the white house, and…” Elizabeth stopped when she witnessed the officer’s face turn noxiously pale.

“Uh, Mrs. Westin, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but there’s been an incident at the White House.”

Elizabeth froze. “What sort of incident?”

The officer looked very uncomfortable, and glanced at the line of cars waiting beyond. “I’m sorry, but you will probably get more out of the media than you will out of me. I’d recommend turning on the radio.” 

With that, Elizabeth silently pulled ahead to take her place in the traffic jam. After glimpsing back at her son, who seemed blissfully ignorant, she turned on the radio. She didn’t have to switch channels, because they were all broadcasting the same thing.

Yes…hello? Dan? I’m sorry, it seems that we’ve lost our connection with

 

Our white house correspondent, Dan Stewart. What we can tell you is

 

That there has been an unconfirmed explosion at the White House. Our

 

Current sources place the explosion somewhere around the White House

 

Briefing room. We are currently unaware of the strength of the blast, or

 

Of any casualties. Again, breaking news out of Washin—

 

Elizabeth had had enough. She looked out the window, up to the line of cars ahead. They weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Rapidly reaching a verdict, she pulled over and parked very illegally at the side of the road. Turning back to Gus she struggled to articulate in a calm voice. “Honey, we’re going to go for a walk, Okay?”

Gus’s eyes looked wide with fright. “Is Annie okay? Mommy, is Annie okay?”

Elizabeth tried her best to calm her son. “I’m sure she’s fine. Come on, out of the car.” Elizabeth exited the car with her son and began walking through the lawn, in the direction of where the white house would appear several blocks later. She grabbed Gus’s hand, ostensibly speeding up with each stride toward her family, and with each step one thought plagued her shock-ravaged mind; Annie could be dead, and it’s all my fault.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII

“Is anybody dead back there?” Jed Bartlet strained his voice over the deafening clip clip clip of the helicopter.

“I don’t know, sir. Its possible.” Agent Ron Butterfield made sure that President was securely fastened in his seat as he turned his attention to the First Lady and her granddaughter.

“What about, what about CJ?” The president had seen the firestorm in the pressroom before he was harshly whisked away to safety. That was the worst part, he thought, being whisked away to safety, somehow it made him feel cowardly.

“I wouldn’t know about the press secretary’s condition.” Agent Butterfield watched the president’s bemused face and was immediately pummeled by a strong sense of deja-vous. Hastily, he ran his hands across the president’s head and torso. No blood. The agent let out a deep breath.

“Jed…” Abigail Bartlet let Annie finish talking into her ear. Then she resumed her shouts to her husband who sat three just three feet away. “Jed, Annie said she saw CJ.”

His attention perked, the president strained to listen to his wife. “Saw her where?”

“Jed, she was in the fire, and Josh ran in and got her. Annie says she saw Josh come out with CJ in his arms.” The first lady tightened her loving hold around Annie’s neck.

Josiah Bartlet sat back in his seat. “I want to go to…can this thing land at Walter Reed? I need to speak to Leo as well, can someone get me Leo?”

Ron Butterfield gave the president’s orders to the pilot through his radio, listened back, and then turned back to the first family. “Mr. President, I can take Ms Westin and the First Lady to the hospital, but we are dropping you off at a top secret location.”

The president had never considered where his administration would deal with emergencies if the White House were no longer an option. “Where is this top secret location?”

Ron Butterfield looked back at the president. “Sir, I think you just answered your own question.”

\---

Carol approached the flight charts at Dulles International and uttered a particularly uncharacteristic gerund as she saw that Flight 308 to Potsdam was delayed by forty-five minutes. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing left to do but wait, she decided to grab a coffee. 

\---

Donna veered around a corner, following the multiple ambulances on their way to the hospital. She checked her mirror, and sure enough Leo was crushed on the side of the car as the swerving momentum pushed the three assistants on top of him. Normally, this would make her giggle, but not today. Perhaps the funniest part, Donna realized, was that the front seat was empty, but they all crammed in the back anyway. 

“Donna, pull over.” Bonnie had her eyes glued to a mother and child standing on the side of the road whose genes could have been nothing short of presidential. “I think that’s, I think that’s Elizabeth Westin.”

Donna pulled over to the side pulled down her window so she could talk with the dazed-looking woman. “Liz, do you want a ride to the hospital?”

Elizabeth looked in the car. She didn’t seem to comprehend what Donna had just said. “Where’s Annie, is Annie okay?”

Leo spoke up in the back. “Liz, she was right next to me when it happened, she was whisked away along with her grandparents to a helicopter, come with us and you can meet her in the hospital.”

Elizabeth silently went around and sat in the front seat, Gus robotically positioning himself on her lap. “Who was hurt?”

For a few awkward moments the car was silent. Then Ginger spoke up, “CJ was right next to the podium, where it happened.” There was continued silence, and then a timely interruption by Leo’s cell phone.

Leo dug for his phone, finally silencing the ironically cheerful tones. “Hello…yes sir. Where? Okay. Is everyone all right were your at? Good. I’ll see you in a few minutes, Mr. President.” Leo looked up at the driver. “Donna, I need to be dropped off at the Department of Agriculture.” Then he dialed his phone again. After a few minutes he reached the national security advisor. “Nancy, the president says close the airports.”

\---

Carol sat sipping her frappachino at the Airport Starbucks, watching the screen in the corner of the room. She could see the smoke at the white house on the TV screen, so the device had worked. She listened to the frantically talking heads with a growing grin…

Officials say that Press Secretary CJ Cregg was seriously wounded in the

 

Explosion, along with a White House reporter whose name has not yet been

 

Disclosed. The perpetrators of this attack are still a mystery, but the chief

 

Assistant Aide to the Assistant Secretary of Defense states, and I quote,

 

“The Bahi are not out of the question.” As you may note, the Bahi were the

 

terrorist group responsible for the kidnapping over a year and a half ago

of the president’s youngest daughter, Zoey Bartlet. In response to that

 

ultimately unsuccessful attack the United States under then President Walken

 

bombed terrorist bases in Qumar, at that time…

 

Carol took a delicate sip of her chilled coffee. For the time being, she was safe.

\---

Leo waved back at Donna and the rest of the passengers as he made his way for the back door at the Department of Agriculture. He could hear the president’s helicopter taking off, so he assumed that the president was already secure in the emergency situation room. Suddenly a secret service agent appeared. 

“Please follow me, Mr. McGarry.”

Leo did follow, and was led through many passageways and stairwells through the Department of Agriculture, eventually reaching an elevator. As they entered the antique structure that Leo wasn’t entirely certain would even move, the agent spoke up.

“Sir, you need to use your card, it will have the appropriate directions on it.”

Leo thought for a moment, and then dug the card out of his wallet. Sure enough a seven-digit number was printed on the card, and this number Leo typed into the elevator keypad. Within a few minutes Leo entered the new situation room.

Nancy McNally sat at the end of the table in a cobalt outfit and a blue face. She watched as Leo entered the room. “Leo, we were just informed by agent Donalbain that we have a prime suspect in the press room bombings. The president already knows.”

Leo sat next to his closest friend. He looked into the president’s reddened eyes as he listened to the shocking words. “Leo, it was Carol.”

“Carol…Carol Fitzpatrick? Personal aide to CJ?”

“Yes.”

The bemused Chief of Staff looked around at the joint chiefs. “Nancy, how do we know?”

“Josh claims that Carol handed him a button to press when CJ went up to the podium, and that Carol just left. He was under the impression that it would start a radio.”

“Oh God, Josh, how can you be so stupid!” Leo was fuming. The president’s red eyes were fixed on the corner of the room. “Still, we can’t be sure that even Carol knew there was a bomb in the podium.”

A large joint chief spoke with a chilling, raspy voice. “Yes we can, these still images from the press room security camera show Carol fiddling with the podium, seemingly installing something.”

Leo was on the verge of shouting. “So why didn’t we stop her then?”

“Because we assumed she was making sure it was ready for the press conference, see it was a new podium, it came in to replace the old one that morning.” The chief was showing Leo and the president the eerie photos of Carol.

“Why did we get a new one?”

Nancy spoke with an unconscious grim smile on her face. “The old one was infested with termites, believe it or not. The thing is, we think that Carol put termites in the old podium months ago to weaken its structure, so that when the bomb went off, it would be twice as lethal. Luckily a reporter noticed a termite a few weeks ago on her seat, and that led to discovering the infestation in the podium. To get to the point, the reason nobody was killed was probably because the White House went miserly and bought a plastic- fake wood- substitute podium to replace the much more dangerous one, and not a moment to soon either.”

The round table sat in silence. Then the president spoke up. “So are we looking for her?”

Nancy fumbled with the file folders in front of her. “There are crews looking right now, including all airports in a fifty mile radius, which on your recent orders are just beginning to close.”

\---

Carol lazily left her seat and threw away her empty plastic cup. She watched the people through the glass walls striding along the movable airport walkways, all of them busy, busy bees, she thought, such busy bees. Suddenly an announcement echoed throughout the patron filled Starbucks:

Do to recent events, all airports have been ordered to close. Therefore all

 

Flights not yet departed will be delayed until further notice. We apologize for

 

The inconvenience, however the Washington metropolitan area offers a plethora

 

Of sightseeing …

 

At that point Carol stopped listening. She knew that she wouldn’t have much time, they were probably looking for her right now. Hurriedly she picked up her phone and dialed, just as armed agents began to make their way down the movable walkways.

\---

Donna checked her gas. There wasn’t much left. She could hear Ginger talking on her phone behind her, but could only make out a couple “yes’s” and “All right’s”. Suddenly a strange tone began to clang, and Bonnie picked up her cell. As they both chatted softly Donna stared at the road ahead, the ambulances were a ways in front of her, but she knew her way to the hospital. She knew her way all to well. Her glance at the serene sight beside her of a tired child sleeping on his worried mother’s lap was interrupted by another clash of tones. Donna’s own cell phone was ringing. This must be her she thought to herself.

-

Margaret listened to the clipped conversations of the three women riding with her in the car. None of them said anything very coherent or loud, just ordinary affirmative or negative responses to seemingly innocent and concerned questions from various loved ones. Elizabeth just sat in silence, she noticed, most likely not comprehending much anything. Margaret’s mood suddenly became sullen as she realized that no one would likely be calling her with their concerns.

Just then the small sedan pulled into Walter Reed, where two close friends and one acquaintance to the five women in the car awaited the support of their friends and loved ones. Support the five women would be happy to give, except one of them. One of them had a job to do.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER IX

Carol was doomed, and she knew it. It would be only seconds before those pesky black-suited agents had swarmed the crowded coffee shop. The device had gone off, her call had been made, and the right people would surely die. So there was only one thing left for her to do. She would wait for the

\---

Agents swarmed the airport, breaking off into different paths to cover more ground. As the young agent Kardon glided past disappointed would-be travelers on the crowded airport walkways, he considered his dire luck that his first day on the job would involve a national crisis. He peeked into every airport store he passed; looking for the pale brunette that was now the prime suspect. After quickly inspecting a small magazine store, he came upon the overcrowded starbucks, and realized that this place would require a deeper investigation. Ripping through the throngs of jittery patrons, he found her. Carol Fitzpatrick, soon to be posthumously convicted terrorist, sat passively at a little square table, popping a solitary pill into her mouth. After an exaggerated swallow she looked up at the determined agent and smiled. “Howdy

\---

Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff Donna Moss led her posse up to the emergency room reception desk. She was not surprised to realize that it was the same African-American woman that was there over three years ago, and sure enough she recognized the confident, calming voice. “Hello. How may I help you?”

Donna spoke determinably, “We were looking for CJ Cregg.”

“Donna,” Toby appeared a few yards away, “follow me. We are all in the waiting room.”

Donna, Ginger, Bonnie, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Gus all followed Toby down the monotone halls of the hospital, finally coming to the waiting room. As they stepped inside they were greeted to the recognizable sight of everyone sitting in passive shock among the chairs. Elizabeth went right for her daughter, who sat next to the first lady. Ginger sauntered around and eventually sat by herself, and Bonnie plopped down tiredly next the Elizabeth. Donna remained standing, looking upon her co-workers. Margaret placed a supportive hand on Donna’s shoulder, simultaneously recognizing the missing face.

“Where’s Josh?” Donna looked eagerly for any positive facial expressions. She found none. No not again, not again, please God not again-

 

“Donna,” the only knowledgeable doctor in the room spoke up, “Both Josh and CJ were injured, but they will be fine. CJ just went through a skin graft and should be able to take visitors in a few minutes. Josh is getting stitches. They will be fine, there’s no need…”

The first lady stopped when Doctor Smolder importantly entered the crowded room. “Ms Cregg’s skin graft went well, and if immediate family or close friends would like to visit, I’m sure she would appreciate it. Keep it to two at a time though please.”

A few relieved sighs could be heard, yet Donna was still tense. “What about Josh?”

“Mr. Lyman, in addition to minor second degree burns, received a minor cranial laceration, and is currently receiving stitches. He should be out in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

As the doctor left the room, Annie looked up at the still vertical blonde. “Donna, do you know why Josh was burned?”

“Why?”

“He rescued CJ from the fire, the bomb fire, I saw him come out.” Annie smiled seriously.

Toby stood up. “You have quite a boss Donatella Moss. I’m going to see CJ, does anyone else want to come?”

“I will.” Both Ginger and Annie spoke at the same time.

Elizabeth looked down at her daughter. “Why don’t we let Toby and Ginger go first, we’ll visit when they get back. Frankly, darling, I don’t want you leaving my sight.”

“Okay…” Annie couldn’t help glancing at her mother’s bruised eye. She decided to mention it later.

Toby found his assistant’s interest strange. He wasn’t even sure CJ even knew Ginger’s full name, let alone expect her to be the first visitor. Nevertheless he went along with it. “Come on, Ginger.”

“I’m coming.” Inside, Ginger’s heart was dancing wildly. Her thoughts raged… Both in the same room, the press secretary and the dirty

 

\---

“Jews have become their main targets since the assassination attempts, sir, Jews and African Americans.” Nancy McNally opened a secondary file as the president confirmed the distressing news.

“So did she have anything to do with Rossyln?” The president was getting very cranky.

“A distinct possibility that is, sir…hold on Mr. President,” Nancy carefully read the note just passed to her. Then she glanced back up at the president. “Carol had a longtime roommate at, uh, Potsdam University.”

Leo was impatient. “Who?”

Nancy couldn’t believer her own ears, “Ginger Hertz.”

The president was incredulous. There was no way anyone else in his administration was a traitor. “But that doesn’t mean…”

“No, but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised. We should question her, now, before…”

“Before anything else happens, I know. Leo how’s Josh and CJ?” The president hated the fact that he could not be with his family at a time like this.

Leo struggled to keep an aura of calm confidence as he contemplated the recent news. How far does this spread? He couldn’t help but think the worst. “They’re both out of surgery, and they’re going to be fine. Katie is fine as well.”

“Thank God,” the president replied, “So the only thing those damn Nazis got was

\---

“The White House probably won’t be livable for at least a week, CJ” Toby looked down at the pained press secretary. She broke his little heart.

“So, uh, I’m glad Josh is okay. Strange how he got burned so far away….” CJ trailed off in her memories. The lifesaving hands…Josh’s lifesaving hands? “Oh my God! Sparky!” Toby watched in horror as CJ tried to jump out of her bed and immediately lay right back down again. “Ouchy. I guess I’ll talk to him later.”

“Those are some bad burns, CJ, did you try to bake me cookies again?”

“Very funny.”

Toby glanced at the strange stitching on her arm. “So what did they do to you?”

“They gave me a skin graft.”

“What’s that?”

“Its when they take your good skin where its plentiful and use it to replace the badly burned skin.” CJ pointed to parts of her arm and face like a geography teacher.

“And where did they harvest your plentiful skin?” Toby asked with a smirk.

CJ had a mysterious expression on her face. “I think that question is of a personal nature, Tobias.”

“Sorry.”

CJ loved teasing the communications director, but she decided to change the subject and release the question that had been boiling in her brain for hours. “Do we know who did this yet?” CJ spoke with a sudden surge of anger.

Toby thought for a moment, finally deciding to keep the load on CJ’s frazzled mind light. “Not yet.”

Ginger looked up from her chair and made a strange expression at the bantering co-workers.

Now the press secretary’s tone turned serious. “We better catch those bastards, and when we do, I’ll be glad we have the death penalty.”

Toby was stunned. It wasn’t that long ago when CJ was one of the staunchest opponents of capitol punishment within the administration. “CJ, there’s one more thing…I know that it was kinda spoiled by, well, a bomb, but anyway,” Toby dug a crumpled piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to CJ, who unfolded the card carefully into her hands. “Happy Birthday, CJ.”

“Toby, you didn’t have to write me a novel…” CJ smiled politely as she began to read, but by the end she could feel the hot tears of friendship forming in her eyes. “Oh Toby, give me a hug.”

Toby turned apple-red. “Well, I don’t wanna hurt you, burned and all…”

“Give me a hug!” CJ demanded, and Toby did so, with all the grace of a shy panda bear. Ginger remained awkwardly in her seat, passively staring out the window.

Toby shuffled slightly as he stood up, noticing how Ginger still sat uncomfortably in silence. He then remembered how distraught his assistant was after Rossyln, he remembered giving her a rare hug as well. “So CJ, is there anything you want? Something to eat…wait…no…I know. I’ll see you in a few, CJ.” With that Toby left CJ’s room to go get what was in his mind, leaving the vulnerable press secretary alone with Ginger Hertz.

-

Ginger watched like a poised tiger as Toby closed the door behind him, and immediately turned to CJ. “Hi CJ,” she said simply as she stood up.

“Oh hi…hi Ginger. My goodness I didn’t even realize you were here.” CJ closed her eyes groggily. She was getting sleepy, and not in much of a mood for another visitor. “You don’t mind if I doze off for a while, do you?”

“No. You rest up, I’ll wait with you.” Ginger continued to hover dangerously above the sleepy patient.

“That’s…so….sweet Ginger…very sweet of…” and with that CJ was out.

Ginger’s eyes flashed with the resurfacing of the memories of her training, buried with time and trickery. “I still have to give you my birthday present, CJ.”

\---

Toby was halfway down the hall, figuring how to best get back to Wal-Mart to pick up a birthday cake, when it hit him again: Carol is a terrorist. He still couldn’t believe it. He looked up at the innocent young nurse working at the floor desk, typing something quickly into her computer. Toby was still amazed at how fast some people could type. He thought of the typing contest all the assistants had a few months ago. He thought of Ginger. He froze. 

\---

An loving shadow of a father placed a guiding hand on the bearded man’s shoulder. She needs your

 

\---

“…help you? Can I help you, sir.” The typing nurse that Toby had admired so much was now talking to him, and Toby had no idea what to say.

“No thank you, I was just…thinking.”

“Alrighty then.” The nurse went right on typing.

Toby felt uneasy, unnatural. Seemingly guided by angelic hands, Toby began to head back toward CJ’s room. Why would Ginger want to see CJ so bad, he thought worriedly… to finish the job? With these horrid thoughts Toby began to run, and several seconds later he opened the door to CJ’s room. For a split second he stood in utter shock as he watched his efficient assistant of over five years adding a foreign substance to his co-worker’s IV bag. Without thought or words Toby ran over and tackled Ginger, pushing her to the hard floor with an unnatural thud, and quickly ripped the IV needle out of CJ’s arm. As CJ’s eyes sprung open with the sudden surge of pain, Toby pinned Ginger to the floor. He saw the label on the glass bottle in her shaking hands…a bold skull and crossbones. Toby surged with anger, and being the communications director, he communicated his feelings effectively to the traitorous white house intern, “You Nazi

\---

“Betch-ya don’t know what you won…” Donna looked fondly upon her now stitched and healing boss.

“Won for what?” Josh couldn’t help it. Despite the horrid happenings of the day, he was smiling. It felt so good to be talking to Donna again.

“For winning the Darwin awards, Josh. You’re supposed to run away from bombs.” Donna now talked with a deep seriousness. “I know what you did, and I find it very brave.”

Now Josh blushed not with modesty, but with shame. If only you knew that it was my fault in the first place. “Well, um, so what did I win?”

Donna beamed contagiously, “Well, in the car I got a phone call. We…you won the Bartlet Chip!”

“So its free…”

“Well, no, you only win it if you pay $550, but it’s still yours!”

“I thought that we had bid, well, less than that?” Josh was a little dismayed at the figure.

“Well, right after we thought we had it, someone else bid five hundred, so…” Donna looked at her shoes. “Yeah.”

“This thing better end up in the Smithsonian.” Josh looked around the room, checking for a certain special birthday gift. “Did you happen to bring Gail Jr. with you?”

Donna nodded silently from side to side as the door burst open and a security guard rampaged in. “I’m sorry, but we need everyone back into the waiting room. Now.”

Josh watched in terror as the guard forcible led Donna out of the room. “What’s going on? Hello!”

Donna’s eyes widened as she was jolted from Josh’s presence and rushed down to the waiting room. When she arrived she was greeted to the sight of multiple security guards standing stoically throughout the room. Her friends and co-workers sat in various stages of shock. One of the guards looked introspectively into Donna’s terrified eyes. “Please take a seat, Ms. Moss.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

The guarded calm that was the presiding state of mind among the passengers of flight 431 out of Los Angeles was abruptly interrupted when the pilot made a grim announcement over the loudspeaker:

Due to recent events we have been ordered to land prematurely at Charleston

 

Regional Airport. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and it is

 

My belief that a flight to Dulles will be provided in the coming hours or days.

 

Again, the plane is not experiencing any difficulties and this landing was

 

ordered due to recent circumstances. Thank you.

 

A tall blonde flight attendant strolled up the aisle, checking that all the passengers were prepared for the landing. As expected she encountered a particular passenger with a laptop open. With a robotically polite voice she spoke to the young gentleman, “Sir, we will be landing soon and all electronic devices need to be disabled.”

The suited man looked up and was surprised to be face to face with the attractive stewardess he had been eyeing the entire flight. “May I use my cell phone?”

“Is it an emergency?”

The congressman slid his laptop under his seat. “What constitutes an emergency?”

The flight attendant rattled off the list like a dessert menu. “Signs of heart attacks, on board fires, having a baby…”

“Okay fine, I won’t use the cell phone.” He stuffed it into his breast pocket like the issue was over and done.

“Thank you sir.” The flight attendant continued down the aisle as she made sure that the laptop was tucked underneath a chair. When she had taken a few steps, the man dialed a once familiar number into his cell phone anyway.

\---

“How long have you known her again?”

“Who?”

“The alleged assailant.”

“At least…at least five and a half years.” Toby blinked emotionally as he continued to comprehend the recent events. The interrogation continued.

“Did she have a friendship of some kind with Carol Fitzpatrick?”

“No…not that I know of.” Toby lost himself again in horrid thoughts. Who was she friends with? Who else is part of this?

 

“Did she have a relationship with anyone in the West Wing?” The agent reviewed his notes. So far nothing important was mentioned.

“She knew Bonnie…”

“Whose Bonnie?”

“Another assistant in the Communications bullpen.”

“I see..” this was jotted down carefully.

“But Bonnie would never…” Toby stopped short. He had just caught Ginger trying to poison the press secretary. What he thought he knew about the character of his assistants meant zilch in this environment.

Suddenly Toby felt a vibration on his belt. “I’m sorry, can I answer my phone? It might-it’s probably important.”

The agent nodded gravely as Toby clicked open the phone. “Toby Ziegler.”

A quiet static filled voice responded from a few hundred miles away. “Toby, it’s Sam. Please tell me what’s going on, I’ve been worried sick and I’ll be there in a few hours…”

\---

Annie glanced over at the security guard who stood next to the doorway. He hadn’t seemed to move for about an hour, and he kept a watchful eye out for anything suspicious. The first lady and her offspring had been moved to an isolated room for their protection, so Annie thought it would be a perfect moment to have a talk with her mother.

“Mom…where’s dad?”

Her daughter’s question had caught Elizabeth unawares, and she was suddenly snapped out of her state of dazed silence. She checked that her son was asleep, and satisfied with his calm snoring figure, responded truthfully.

“I don’t know, home maybe.”

“Did he do that to you?” Annie pointed at her mother’s eye, sparking Abby’s attention across the room.

“Honey, wipe off your make-up. It’s really not hiding anything.” The first lady moved across the room to join her granddaughter’s interrogation.

Reluctantly Elizabeth rubbed the makeup off her cheeks, revealing the bruise in its entirety. “It was just a spat…about the laundry. But don’t worry, because it’s going to be fine. I am not going to put my children in harms way.”

“Mom, are you going to divorce dad?” Annie did not no if she was afraid of excited.

“Annie…” Elizabeth paused as she gathered her determined thoughts, “That’s just the first thing I’m going to do.”

The first lady put her arms around her daughter. “You can stay with us at the residence until…” She trailed off, wondering if the residence was even inhabitable at the moment.

\---

“Are they even safe there? Is CJ alright?” The president spoke quickly in a shrill, unnatural voice.

Leo spoke calmly into the president’s ear, placing a supportive hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Sir, Josh and CJ are safe, their rooms are being guarded by agents.”

“Why weren’t they guarded before?” Jed’s face fumed with frustration.

“It didn’t seem necessary at the--typically only the first family receives…”

“Where is my wife anyway? Where’s my family?” Bartlet’s breath was quick and aberrant. He was aware of his unpresidential demeanor, his childish whining, but somehow he could not help it. Somehow today was different. Today he was betrayed.

Nancy spoke forcefully. “Mr. President. Your wife, daughter, and grandchildren in the hospital have been moved to a secure location. The others are in the waiting room being interrogated by the secret service. Your other daughters have been located and held in secure locations. We will do everything in our power to halt these traitorous acts, but sir…we need you here. We need you with us, Mr. President.”

The president silenced himself, ashamed. For an instant in his mind Nancy became CJ, a wise press secretary who in Oklahoma had reminded him of his duties, her words still echoing in his head… We need you to lead, Mr. President. With three deep, silent breaths he collected himself and spoke. “Okay…is there anything else we need to do here?”

“Not here, sir.”

“Alright then. Leo, I want to speak to Ginger. I want her to look me in the eye.”

Leo nodded solemnly.

\---

Donna sat in the waiting room near the door. The recent entrance of an agent had distracted everyone around her, she noticed. She realized that this could be to her advantage. For the past few minutes the door was conspicuously clear, the guarding agents off chatting in the far corners as they observed. Figuring that if she was stopped she could simply say she needed to use the bathroom, she stridently opened the door and left the room. There was something she had forgotten, and she wanted it. She needed it.

\---

Margaret watched as an agent stepped into the waiting room. As everyone around her looked up in anticipation she was reminded of her recent trip to the dentists office, waiting for her root canal. This was ten times worse. Slowly, almost surgically, the agent checked his list. “Bonnie Giblin, will you come into the back room please.”

Bonnie stood up, shaking violently. She wondered briefly if she had the right to call a lawyer, but then realized that in this case it probably wouldn’t fly. She followed the agent into the back room and sat down. The agent remained standing.

“Did you know Ginger Hertz personally?”

“Well, yes. I believe everyone did.”

“Did you consider her a friend?”

“I did. In fact we were going to get lattes after work today.”

“I despise lattes.”

“Oh.”

“Did you meet in the white house?”

“Yes…to save you time, I had no previous knowledge of the acts committed today. I did not know the real Ginger, her secrets were well kept, and you have to believe me.”

“I would love to believe you, Miss Giblin. But two seemingly loyal, hard-working, patriotic white house employees have just attempted to assassinate high level presidential advisors, so at this point everyone is a suspect. And I received information that you had the closest relationship to suspect Ginger Hertz, so I’m going to have to question you a little longer.” The agent stood firm, imposing his presence upon the hopefully innocent white house secretary and speechwriter. But his inner thoughts were far less confident. It would be nearly impossible to uncover the identities of the traitors until they acted, he realized, some of these women are just too good at lying.

\---

White House gate security guard Frankie Rowlands opened another can of Michelob as he watched the news in his small Foggy Bottom apartment. He was trying to comprehend his emotions as he realized that he was responsible for letting the bomb get into the West Wing. As reporters chatted away about the unfortunate events of the day, he drunkenly threw an empty can at the small television set. Three hurt. Three hurt because I blundered. And it was her damn birthday too.

As he opened his thirteenth can he began to feel his remaining consciousness ooze out of him. Eventually his alcohol induced sleep became too deep for life, and the next morning the bomb’s body count increased by one.

\---

“She’s in here sir.” Agent Butterfield led the president to Ginger’s holding area in back of the hospital, where she would soon be picked up by the FBI via helicopter. He unlocked a metal door, revealing a room divided by a bulletproof glass wall with small holes meant for the traveling of voices. Ginger was slouched in the corner with a strange expression on her face when the president approached the glass.

“Hi Ginger.” The president remained standing, intently watching the former white house employee as she continued to sit. “I know you’ll be glad to hear that both CJ and Josh are doing fine.”

The redheaded menace just snickered and then looked back at the wall.

“Ginger, what happened? Why did you do this?” The president was unexpectedly becoming emotional, so he quickly turned away for a second. This gave Ginger time to creep forward, so when he again faced the glass wall, he was face to face with the formally undercover terrorist. He did not waver now. “Why would you try to murder CJ?”

Ginger smiled widely, like that green Christmas monster that lives on an icy mountain, and streaked her hand sensually down the glass. “Oh she’s just for show, Josiah. The real targets are the unworthy…that fat ugly Jew and that damn nigger that waits on you. And don’t you worry sir, they will die. We almost got one the first time, collapsed his lung even! But it wasn’t enough. This time we came dangerously close to complete success, but there will be more, sir. Third times a charm, Mr. President!” By now Ginger was laughing insanely, “Third time’s a charm! Third time’s a charm! Third time’s a charm!”

Jed Bartlet stood stiffly, caught in a nightmare that would never end. He did not know what to say next, not sure if he even should say anything. Finally he felt the secure hand of agent Butterfield on his tense shoulder. “Are you ready to go, sir?”

The president was silent, but Butterfield knew the answer. 

\---

CJ fluttered her eyes open as she heard footsteps. Looking at the door she saw multiple secret service agents flowing into her room, forming a protective capsule around the visibly agitated president when he entered seconds later. When she saw the forcibly calm face of her boss, she knew in her heart that everything would be all right. “Hello Claudia.”

CJ sat up in her bed, unconsciously respecting the presence of the president. “Hello sir.”

Jed Bartlet walked to the edge of the bed and attempted a joke. “Birthday candles got a little out of control, did they?”

CJ smiled politely, absently rubbing a burned part of her face with her left hand. “Lucky I had Josh to blow them out.”

The president conceded this fact. “At least he’s good for something,” he ventured sarcastically.

Suddenly CJ’s face turned grim. “Sir, I asked Toby if you knew who was responsible. He claimed that he didn’t know, but I don’t believe him. Please tell me, sir. I’m ready.”

The aging presidentsat down carefully on the edge of the bed, sighing as he rubbed his eyes. Finally he looked back at his fourth daughter. “CJ, it was Carol. She planted the bomb in your podium.”

CJ’s outward expression did not change. “And Ginger tried to poison me?”

“Yes.”

For a few seconds there was audible silence. CJ fiddled uncomfortably with her pillow. “This isn’t some extremely cruel birthday joke is it?” She did not know if she was joking or hoping.

“No CJ.”

“Are they looking for her?” CJ struggled with the words… so many years of playful companionship. And then she tries to kill her.

“They found her. She committed suicide. Right now the going theory is that Carol and Ginger met in college and got involved with a Neo-Nazi terrorist group in Potsdam.” The President realized that he shouldn’t be talking about things that were not confirmed yet, but he needed to tell her something.

“Neo-Nazi--were they involved with Rosslyn? Carol and Ginger knew about the shooting?” CJ felt it coming together slightly in her head.

“That is a possibility.”

“The things people do nowadays.”

“Yeah…” 

Bartletcreaked his neck behind him when agent Butterfield tapped him on the shoulder. “Mr. President, the agents have finished with their questioning. We do not believe anyone else was or will be involved in today’s events. However, we will keep extra security around all white house employees for the foreseeable future.”

Doctor Smolder entered the room and strode over to his patients bed, secretly waiting for the president to finish his conversation before he did so. Eavesdropping was this man’s specialty, yet he still felt awkward as the president stood up from the mattress. He shouldn’t make the president stand up. “Good morning Mr. President.”

Bartlet was flabbergasted. “Morning? What time is it?”

The Doctor checked his watch. “I’m sorry. We still have fifteen minutes until midnight. I have good news. Josh is doing well, so we let him into the waiting room to visit with his friends. CJ, I’m just going to do a little check up, and you should be okay as well.”

The president looked toward the door. Suddenly he whispered something in the doctor’s ear and the doctor nodded affirmatively. CJ watched as the president left the room with the hint of a smile on his face.

\---

When the hours of intense questioning had ceased, the remainder of the first family was permitted to rejoin their friends and colleagues in the waiting room. As the first lady entered with the rest of her family members she could sense the easing of tension; she could feel the slow and deadly restoration of trust among the staff.

Before anyone could acknowledge this new presence in the room, they all stood up, because someone even newer had just entered the room, and he wasn’t having a good day at all. Jed Bartlet smiled in the presence of his friends and family.

“Everyone, I’m gladdened to hear that the secret service has determined that no more of you will be attempting to kill me or each other…”

Before the president could say anything else the opaque waiting room door swung open and knocked him in his flank, almost pushing him into Josh’s lap. Stepping awkwardly through the door was the horrified face of Congressman Sam Seaborn, who immediately realized what he’d just done. As a crushing sense of humiliation swept over him, he quickly helped the president to his feat, mumbling hurried apologies as everyone else looked on in shock, and then slowly began to laugh.

As the president regained himself, he looked into the eyes of his former speechwriter and smiled. Then he turned back to his audience, “I give you the California Congressman Sam Seaborn!” This was met with more whoops of praise, which grew quite loud. After a rapid hushing with his hands, the president spoke again. “Before we have anymore time to think about this, we have only five minutes until midnight, so I say we all head over to CJ’s room and remind her of how old she is!”

This was met with smiles from the staff and family of the West Wing and looks of horror of the secret service. Immediately, the nearly empty halls of the hospital were clogged with the remaining loyal staff of the Bartlet Administration, bearing gifts for an injured soul.

\---

The lights in CJ’s hospital room were out as the tired press secretary attempted to sleep. With a shudder she felt vibrations echoing down the halls, and she quickly sat up in her bed. The security guard standing in the corner, who was now nodding and smiling into his radio, calmed her fears temporarily. It wasn’t until her door suddenly shot open and a throng of people ran in shouting “Happy Birthday” did her heart rate jump back up again.

As her various friends and co-workers surrounded her bed they quieted down, and before anyone said anything else, Josh lifted his hands as if he were a conductor and everyone began to sing the song CJ had already heard in another world.

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday…”

Suddenly an irritable night nurse popped her head into the door, unaware of the occupant’s identities, but aware of the noise they were making. “Excuse me folks, but its nearly midnight and we have some sick people here trying to, trying to…” She noticed the presence of president Bartlet and gulped. “I’m sorry Mr. President, my mistake.” With that she popped back out into the hallway beat red.

Immediately the birthday song continued, albeit several decibels quieter. “Happy Birthday dear CJ, Happy Birthday to you!”

As the room erupted in smiles CJ noticed the presence of both Josh and Sam and with joy she pulled them close to her bed. “I’d like to thank all of you, but especially I’d like to thank these fine two gentlemen who are guilty of saving my life on two separate occasions.” With that she kissed each of them on the cheek.

Although not one for modesty, Josh was red in the face. “CJ, I think I’m speaking for most everyone here when I say that you’ve saved our lives many, many times as our sole soldier against an army of pens and cameras.”

CJ smiled and looked at all the beaming faces surrounding her, the faces of her truly loyal friends, and noticed one missing. Donna was nowhere to be seen. “Josh, where’s Donna?”

Josh’s smile faded only slightly. “She’s right…oh…I don’t know…”

Suddenly the mood became less jovial, and just as Sam walked out of the small bathroom to make sure it did not harbor a certain blond bombshell, there was a knock at the door.

One of the security agents walked over and opened it quickly with one hand while keeping his other near his belt. Donna stood beaming in the doorway with a freshly wrapped present, presumably for the press secretary. “Happy birthday CJ!” Excitedly she walked over to the birthday girl, trailed by a couple of the secret service agents, and set the gift in CJ’s lap. “Try to keep it upright when you open it, and open it quickly!” Donna smiled contagiously.

CJ looked at the gift, as did everyone else in the room. The hesitation was momentary, but the blonde white house assistant felt it like acid rain. “It’s just your birthday present, CJ.”

CJ forced herself to smile as she only half lied to Donna, “I know, Donna, I was just so touched.”

“Oh, well then open it!”

With agile fingers CJ carefully peeled away the smooth paper, revealing a pleasant surprise. Donna pointed to the small goldfish still swimming around the podium. “Its Gail Jr.!”

There was a collective sigh of relief and happiness throughout the room as CJ bonded with her new office buddy. Along the wall edges the secret service agents shifted slightly into their own tense form of guarded relaxation. CJ looked back at her gift giver. “Thank you Donna. Thank you not only for this, but for everything. In fact I’d like to propose a toast to Donna and Margaret and Bonnie and every other hard-wording…” CJ now looked at Josh, “under appreciated White House assistant, without the help of whomthe West Wing would resemble a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off…” CJ paused as she realized that her metaphor was not quite appropriate for the day, and then continued by lifting her half empty Styrofoam cup of water into the air. “To the assistants!”

Her fellow co-workers and world leaders responded immediately. “To the assistants!”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI: Epilogue

Claudia Jean Cregg passed through the metal detector that served as the electronic barrier between the west wing and the dangerous outside world. She half expected the machine to go off, to beep at her like an annoying puppy, but she walked through without a sound. That wasn’t the end however, in the two weeks it had taken to clear the smoke damage out of the West Wing to make it livable again extra security measures had been implemented. CJ sighed as she walked through the third and final detector, this one designated for explosive material, and wondered if it was worth it to come back so late at night just to pick up some paperwork. Gliding through the empty walkways she realized that she might be the only staff member in the building save the security and cleaning crew.

She was wrong. As she neared the bullpen she walked by Josh’s office, she noticed movement. Slowly she peeked her head in the door.

Josh was sitting like a cardboard cut out at his desk.

“Hey Josh” CJ spoke softly, timidly. There was something strange about this chance encounter, like it had happened before.

Josh said nothing. He just sat, staring into her eyes with his own soul penetrating ovals. 

CJ tried again. “Josh, is there something wrong? You look very upset…”

Josh simply nodded and reached under his desk, taking out a small already opened cardboard shipping box. As he dumped a pile of yellow crumbs onto his desk, he could only manage to words. “It came.”

CJ stared at the pile of crumbs. Could it be? She thought, Oh no. It must be. “Josh, is that, is that the Bartlet Chip?”

Josh simply nodded sadly, lifting the crumbs of his broken fortune and scattering them back down as if they were golden coins. “It didn’t do so well in shipping.”

“I guess not…” CJ expressed sympathy, but her first instinct was to laugh. For Josh’s sake she attempted to hold it in. “Did you complain?”

“Yeah. They said they would send me a bag of chips.” 

CJ couldn’t hold it in any longer. She cracked up. “You spend half a grand on a broken potato chip Josh! How do you feel?”

Josh stole the words out of his precious assistants mouth. “I want my money back.”

“Yeah. So what were you going to do with the crumbs?” CJ inquired, suddenly realizing she hadn’t fed Gail Jr. in quite a long time.

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.” Josh looked simply dejected.

“Follow me. Bring the crumbs.” With that CJ led Josh out of the darkened office as the Deputy Chief of staff cradled his precious purchase in his hands. Eventually they were in CJ’s dark office, and CJ shut the door as she flicked on the lights.

“I forgot to buy more fish food, so if you wanted, we good feed it to Gail Jr…put it to some use…” CJ peered down at her poor hungry tricks. Either she was playing tricks with herself or Gail Jr. looked decidedly skinnier.

Josh mushed the crumbs to near powder in his hands. Solemnly he handed some of it to CJ, and together they sprinkled it into Gail Jr.’s small water world. The goldfish skimmed the surface hungrily, searching for the small bits of greasy delight. CJ looked over at Josh. “Feel better?”

“Not at all.”

“Yeah. I think my poor fish will probably get sick too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“How are your burns?”

How are your burns?”

“Fine.”

“Yeah. Me too. Josh?”

“What?”

“Thanks again for saving my life.”

“CJ?”

“What?”

“I was the one that pressed it, I set it off, I didn’t know, but it…”

“Josh…”

“What?”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Together the co-workers stood in reverent silence for what seemed to be several minutes. Through the events of the past few weeks, CJ had come to realize what she had always known deep in her heart. A tingling had turned to a warmth which had now, after her recent exchange of words, grown into that unmistakable sensation that is known the strike at the most inopportune and opportune times. In this moment, CJ realized that she loved Joshua Lyman, and the rest was history.

The End


End file.
